Table saw guards have been designed to prevent an operator from accidentally engaging a table saw blade. The typical table saw guard includes a one piece hood pivotally connected to a support structure, whereby introducing a workpiece to the front of the hood causes it to rise. While these guards provide adequate protection, they tend to be cumbersome and often impede visibility to the saw blade. Furthermore, these guards can occasionally bind when cutting miter or bevel angles. Hence, to avoid these obstacles, operators often remove the hood assembly.